Eight Israeli startups were among the 61 early-stage companies recognized by the World Economic Forum for their design and development of potentially world-changing innovations and technologies.

Watergen, a Rishon LeTzion-based company whose technology generates clean drinking water from the air; Utilis, whose satellite technology detects leaks in underground water pipes, and six other Israeli startups in the fields of cybersecurity, software, solar energy, self-driving cars and 3D imaging sensors were awarded the title of Technology Pioneer 2018.

Israel had the second-largest number of companies on the World Economic Forum’s list, ranking second behind the US.

“Watergen and its fellow pioneers are front and center in shaping the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution and we believe they will be transforming society and industry in a positive way in the years to come,” said Fulvia Montresor, Head of Technology Pioneers at the World Economic Forum.

Other Israeli companies included on the list are Vayyar, based in Yehud, which makes low-cost 3D imaging sensors; XM Cyber, a Herzliya-based developer of software that identifies and exposes attacks; Innoviz Technologies , based in Kfar Saba, which provides light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensing solutions for autonomous vehicles; Aqua Security , a Ramat Gan-based cybersecurity firm that provides security for container-based and cloud-native applications; Precognize, based in Tirat Carmel, which developed a predictive maintenance software for industrial systems; and Raycatch , based in Tel Aviv, which offers an AI diagnostics technology for solar energy that enables automated management of solar assets.

This year’s cohort is diverse both geographically and in terms of gender. Twenty-three percent are female-led, and a majority (54%) come from regions outside the United States and Silicon Valley, according to a statement from the World Economic Forum.

The newly selected Technology Pioneers will participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2018. This meeting, often called Summer Davos, will take place in Tianjin, China, September 18-20. Some of them will also attend the annual meeting in Davos in January 2019.

Companies recognized on the list of Technology Pioneers in the past include: Airbnb, Google, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Spotify, and Twitter, among others.